This paper addresses the modeling and control of the air path system of diesel engines. The underlying issues are critical for the control of the transient exhaust gas fraction pumped into the cylinders, which is known to be a dominant factor to reduce the nitrogen oxides (NO x) emissions. In this paper, we propose a new approach, based on a data-based grey-box linear parameter varying ...
View full abstract»

Minimal advance for best torque (MBT) timing for an internal combustion (IC) spark ignition (SI) engine is the minimum advance of spark timing for the best torque or, in other words, for the best fuel economy. But MBT timing is often limited by engine knock in the advanced direction and spark timing is also constrained by partial burn and misfire in the retard direction. It is preferred to operate...
View full abstract»

In an electromechanical valve actuated engine, solenoid actuators drive the valves that control airflow into the cylinders, allowing elimination of the camshaft and flexible control of the valve timing. Individual control of the valves provides flexibility in valve timing over all engine operating conditions and fully enables the benefits of variable valve timing. This paper describes a closed-loo...
View full abstract»

This paper presents a model-based nonlinear feedback controller designed to regulate the crank angle at 50% fuel burned (thetasCA50) for a gasoline homogeneous charge compression ignition engine model during load transitions. The regulation of the combustion timing is based on manipulating the charge temperature through internal dilution, which is achieved by controlling the lift of a s...
View full abstract»

This brief addresses the model-based control of the air path of diesel engines in terms of an optimal control problem with input constraints which can be solved using model predictive algorithms. A multilinear model identified from data and a switched controller design are used to cope with the nonlinearity of the engine. Experimental results on a production engine confirm that the proposed contro...
View full abstract»

Engine downsizing and boosting is known to substantially improve the fuel economy of passenger cars. Compared to traditional boosting devices, pressure-wave superchargers (PWS) have several advantages. In particular, the substantial delays in the torque dynamics caused by conventional turbochargers can be avoided by a careful tuning of the pressure-wave processes taking place inside the PWS. These...
View full abstract»

We quantify here the performance limitations of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell with a compressor-driven air supply under transient loading conditions. We first model and analyze the dynamics of the fuel cell system equipped with a compressor, which for power autonomy must be powered by the fuel cell itself. Experimental data are used to qualitatively verify the fuel cell system model. Severa...
View full abstract»

A process to design the control strategy for a vehicle with electronic throttle control (ETC) and automatic transmission is proposed in this paper. The driver's accelerator pedal position is interpreted as a power request, which is to be satisfied by coordinating the transmission gear shift and the throttle opening in an optimal fashion. The dynamic programming (DP) technique is used to obtain the...
View full abstract»

In automotive powertrains, backlash imposes well-known limitations on the quality of control and, hence, on vehicle driveability. High-performance controllers for backlash compensation require high-quality measurements of the current state of the powertrain. Information about the size of the backlash is also needed. In this paper, nonlinear estimators for backlash size and state are developed, usi...
View full abstract»

The electric power demand in road vehicles increases rapidly. Energy management (EM) turns out to be a viable solution for supplying all electric loads efficiently. The EM strategies developed in this paper focus on vehicles with a conventional drivetrain. By exploiting the storage capacity of the battery, the production, and distribution of electric power is rescheduled to more economic moments. ...
View full abstract»

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) improvements in fuel economy and emissions strongly depend on the energy management strategy. The parallel HEV control problem involves the determination of the time profiles of the power flows from the engine and the electric motor. This is also referred to as the power split between the conventional and the electric sources. The objective of HEV control is in fact...
View full abstract»

Fault management is critical for a vehicle active safety system. Since a sensor fault may not always be detectable by a sensor self-test or an electronic monitoring system whose detection often relies on out-of-range signals, a redundancy check is warranted for the detection of an in-range signal fault. In this paper, an in-vehicle roll rate sensor failure detection scheme utilizing analytical red...
View full abstract»

Steer-by-wire remains unavailable on production vehicles today, despite the numerous benefits it will provide, due to the expense of high-reliability designs. Model-based fault detection techniques can eliminate the need for redundant sensors in steer-by-wire vehicles, lowering costs without compromising reliability. This paper presents the modeling and fault detection filter design techniques use...
View full abstract»

In this paper, a two-step trajectory planning algorithm from robotics literature is applied to generate suitable trajectories for an autonomous parking maneuver of a car. First, a collision-free curve between a given start and a desired goal configuration within the parking space is planned ignoring the kinematic restrictions on the movement of the car. Second, the collision-free curve is converte...
View full abstract»

This paper presents a feedback steering control strategy for a vehicle in an automatic driving context. Two main contributions in terms of control are highlighted. On the one hand, the automatic reference trajectories generation from geometric path constraints (obstacles). Thanks to the flatness property of the considered model, the longitudinal velocity will be controlled around a quasi-constant ...
View full abstract»

In this paper, a model predictive control (MPC) approach for controlling an active front steering system in an autonomous vehicle is presented. At each time step, a trajectory is assumed to be known over a finite horizon, and an MPC controller computes the front steering angle in order to follow the trajectory on slippery roads at the highest possible entry speed. We present two approaches with di...
View full abstract»

This brief paper focuses on the concept of utilizing torque-biasing systems on a four-wheel drive vehicle for improving vehicle stability and handling performance. In contrast to brake-based yaw stability control systems, torque biasing has the potential to provide yaw stability control without slowing down the longitudinal response of the vehicle. An inexpensive system configuration is considered...
View full abstract»

This brief deals with lateral dynamic control of electric vehicles in an urban environment, motivated by individual public transportation issues, aimed to contribute to reduce metropolitan areas pollution. The framework in which the control strategy is developed is the so-called "look-down reference," in which the lateral displacement is obtained from a onboard sensor, interacting with a road infr...
View full abstract»

IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology Information for authors